Speaking Out for Language

TLDR

The National Early Literacy Panel report underrepresents language’s importance, and unlike rapidly developing code skills, language develops over a longer time span. The authors warn that schools may focus on easily changeable code skills instead of the harder‑to‑alter language abilities. Language exerts pervasive, indirect effects on later reading that are not captured by meta‑analysis effect sizes, and the authors caution against overemphasizing code skills.

Abstract

Although the National Early Literacy Panel report provides an important distillation of research, the manner in which the data are reported underrepresents the importance of language. Unlike other predictors with moderate associations with later reading, language exerts pervasive and indirect influences that are not described by the effect sizes used in the meta-analysis. Also, unlike code-related skills that develop rapidly during the years studied, language develops over an extended time span. Because it is relatively difficult to devise interventions that dramatically alter children’s language abilities, the authors of this response are concerned that schools will target the more malleable code-based skills. They warn against such a move.